Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-05-21

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In the background, as II were, yelled form
was always towering, which, from time to
time, seemed 10 draw tho coverings from is
body, revealing now the perfect shape Of
lovely blooming woman, and now again the
white bones Of grinning slzoleton and which,
as 1t yelled and unveiled, uttered the myster-,
ious and apparently meaningless sentence
"That which d alive hath known death, and
that which l. dead yet can never die, for In
the Circle OF the Spirit Life Is naught and
death Is naught Yea, all things live forever,
though OF times they sleep and are forgot
ten|
Tho raorning came at last, but when 10
came found that was too sti6 and sore to
rise. About Job arrived, limplng terribly,
and with his face tho color OF a rotten apple,
and told me that Leo had slept fairly, but
was very weak. Two hours after Billali Job
called him "Billy goat to which, indeed, his
white beard gave him some resemblance, or.
more Familiarity, "Billy,'1 came too, bearing
q lamp In his hand. his towering form reach
ing nearly to the roof OF the little chamber
Ipretonded to DO asleep, and through tho
cracks of my eyelids, watched his sardonio
but handsome old face lie fixed his b -
like eyes upon me and stroked his gloridA,
white beard, which, by the way, would have
been worth q hundred year TO any London
barber as an advertisement.
"Ahl" heard him mutter Billali had a
habit Of muttering TO HIMSELF, she Is ugly
ugly es tho other is heantiful-a very ba-
boon; II was good name. But like tho
man. Strange, now, at my age, that should
like man. What says the proverbl Mis-
trust all men, and slay him whom thou mis-
trustest over much; and as for women, flee
thou from them, for they are evil, and In the
end win destroy thee 1t Is good proverb,
especially the last part; think IL must have
come down from tho ancients. Nevertheless
| like this baboon, and wonder where they
taught him his tricks, and l trust~that She
viii not bewitch him. Podr Babooni ho must
be wearied after that fight. win go lest
should wake him"
waited till be had turned, ana was nearly
through the entrance, walking softly on tip
toe, and then / called after him
any father said, lis it thoul'
ayes, my son, 1t is 1; but let me MT dis
turb thee. ! did but como to see how thou
didst fare, and to tell thee that those who
would have slain thee, my baboon, are by
now well ON their road TO She. She said that
ye were TO come also ut once, but | fear 20
can not YETI
may" said, mot till we have recovered
a little; Tut have me borne out into the day
light, | pray thee, my fether. like moi this
placer
"Ah, no. he answered.; cit hath sad air.
remember when was boy | found the
body of fair woman lying where you lie
now, yes, on that very bench. She was so
I haa tftt 4 to. Dr..
lamp and gaze upon her. Had It not been
| for her cold hands, almost could think that
she slept, end would one day awake. SO fair
and peaceful was she in her robe OF whita.
/ White was she too, and her hair was yellow,
and lay down her almost 10 tho feet There
are many such still in the tomhs at the place
where She Is, for those who set Thorn there
had way / know naught OF, Of keeping
their beloved out Of the cfum5ling hand
Of decay, even when death had slain
them Ay, day by day came hither aud
gazed on her, till at last--laugh not at me,
stranger, for was but silly lad--I learned
to love that dead form that shell that once
had held life that no more Ia. would creep
up TO her and kiss her cold face and wonder
how many men had lived and died since she
was, and who had loved her and embraced
her in the days that long had passed away.
And, my Balloon, think learned wisdom
from that dead ono, for OF q truth it taught
me OF the littleness Of life and the length Of
death, and how all things that are under the
sun go down one path and arc forever for
gotten. And SO / unused, and it seemed to
me that wisdom flowed into mo from that
dead one till one day my mother, o watchful
woman but hasty minded, seeing | was
changed, followed me and saw the beautiful
white one and feared was bewitched, as in
deed / was. So, half in fear and half h.
anger, she took the lamp and, standing the
dead one up against the wall there, set fire to
her hair and she burned fiercely even down to
the feet, for those who are thus kept burn ex-
cellently well. Sec, my son, there on the
roof IS yet the smoke Of her burning
| looked up doubtfully, and there, sure
enough on the roof of the sepulcher was a
peculiarly unctuous and sooty mark, three
feet or more across. Doubtless it had in the
course Of years been rubbed of the sides Of
the little cave, but on the roof II remained,
and there was NO installing its appearance.
"She burned, he went on, in a meditative
way, seven to the feet, but the feet came
back and saved, cutting the burned bone from
them, and hid them under the stone bench
there, wrapped up in piece of linen Sure
ly, remember it as though 1t were but yes
terday. Perchance they are there, IL none
have found them, oven TO this hour. Ola
truth, have not entered this chamber from
that time to this very day, Stay, | will look, =
and kneeling down, ho groped about with his
long arm In the recess under the stone bench.
Presently his faze frightened, and with an
exclamation he pulled something forth that
was caked in dust, which he shook on TO tho
floor. 1t was covered with the remains of q
rotten rag, which he undid, and revealed to
my astonished gaze q beautifully shaped and
almost white woman's foot, looking as fresh
and as firm as though it had been placed
there yesterday.
''Thou seest, my son, the Baboon," he said,
in sad voice, u spake the truth to thee, for
here is yet one foot remaining. Take 1t, my
sen, and gaze upon it."
! took this cold fragment Of mortality In
my hand, and looked at It in tho light OF the
lamp with feelings which cannot describe,
so mixed up were they between astonishment.
fear and fascination IL was light, much
lighter should cay than ii had been In the
living state, and the flesh TO all appearance
| was still flesh, though about IL there clung q